WINTER WATCH
Winter Watch – Squalicum Harbor and Surrounding Area
Weekly checks aboard boats that spend the winter in the water at Squalicum Harbor. Someone who knows boats goes aboard yours, looks over the systems that keep it dry and safe, and you hear about anything that needs attention.
What a walk down the dock can tell you, and what it can’t
A lot of winter boat checks happen from the dock, and they’re worth doing. From the dock you can see how a boat is riding out the weather. What you can’t see is what’s going on inside it.
From the Dock
✔ Dock lines that are chafing, slack, or too tight
✔ Fenders that have ridden up or slipped out of place
✔ Canvas that’s loose, torn, or holding rain and snow
✔ Snow building up on the decks
✔ A boat sitting lower than normal, or listing
✔ A shore power cord that has come unplugged
From Aboard
✔ How much water is in the bilge, and whether the pumps are running more often than they should
✔ Whether the float switches actually work
✔ Whether heaters and dehumidifiers are running, and placed safely
✔ Whether shore power is reaching the boat’s panel
✔ Condensation, damp, or mildew starting in the cabin
The problems that do the most damage over a winter usually start inside and out of sight. A breaker trips and the heat goes off. A dehumidifier quietly stops. A bilge pump cycles a little more each week. Freshwater freezes at 32°F, and common freeze points like filter housings in a lazarette and plastic strainer bowls can’t be seen from the float. Going aboard every week is how those get caught while they’re still small.
Ask about your boat
Not sure your boat needs weekly checks? Tell us a little about it and how it’s set up for winter, and we’ll tell you what we’d look at. There’s no obligation.
What we check every week
Each week, a member of our Service team goes aboard and works through the same list:
- Bilges, pumps, and float switches.
- Water level, how often the pumps are cycling, and whether the switches work.
- Heaters and dehumidifiers. Running, set sensibly, and clear of anything they shouldn’t be touching.
- Shore power. Connected, with power reaching the boat.
- Dock lines and fenders. Tension, chafe, and position as wind and tide shift.
- Canvas. Secure, and not collecting water or snow.
- Your tender. Secure, and not filling with rainwater.
When a storm is coming
When high winds, heavy snow, or a hard freeze are on the way, Storm Watch adds visits as needed to check lines, fenders, and canvas and to clear snow or standing water.
Optional monthly wash
Salt, dirt, and debris build up over a winter. A monthly wash keeps them off your finishes. Ask us about adding it.
When a check turns up something
If we find something that needs attention, we let you know what we found and what we’d suggest, and the same team can take care of it if you’d like us to.